Statement by NOW President Terry O’Neill on the Supreme Court Justice Selection

For Immediate Release

Statement by NOW President Terry O’Neill on the Supreme Court Justice Selection

WASHINGTON - Judge Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, clearly possesses the qualities the President said he would look for—a rigorous intellect, impeccable credentials, and a record of excellence.

Still, it's unfortunate that President Obama felt it was necessary to appoint a nominee to the Supreme Court whose record on issues pertaining to women’s rights is more or less a blank slate. Equally unfortunate is that we have to continue to wait for the first African American woman to be named. For this nomination, the so-called political experts ruled that the best choice for the highest court in the nation was a cipher—a real nowhere man.

The selection of Judge Garland comes amid outrageous statements by Senate Republicans that they will not even meet with this President’s nominee, let alone hold hearings or conduct an up-or-down vote. NOW condemns this obstructionism and calls on the Senate to do its job.

For women, who need to know that their fundamental reproductive, voting, marriage, and other rights will be protected, this is no way to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.

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The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the largest organization of feminist activists in the United States. NOW has 500,000 contributing members and 550 chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Further

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